


The Act of Holding

by WildKitte



Category: Naruto
Genre: Bonding, Gen, Genin Era, Holding Hands, Literal Sleeping Together, Post-Mission, Sakura swears bc i want her to, Team Feels, kids being kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 19:37:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20476409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildKitte/pseuds/WildKitte
Summary: Post-mission. The boys are tired. Sakura is the only one with common sense.





	The Act of Holding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [doonintoonin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/doonintoonin/gifts).

> For Aish <333 Thank you for your support and kind words and WONDERFUL ART and letting me talk about Naruto nonstop with you. Go check her out on [twitter](https://twitter.com/toondoon1010)!

Hidden Village of Grass was quite a trip away from Konoha, and especially now that they were exhausted, it felt longer than it had going the other way. 

Everyone was feeling the strain from their mission – it was supposed to be a simple C rank mission, but C ranks never stayed C ranks. The sun was setting ahead, casting longer shadows as they finally crossed the border to Fire Country, and Kakashi, glancing at the tired kids, decided to set camp. 

“We’ll rest for a couple hours,” he said, and promptly ignored Naruto’s cries that he _ wasn’t tired, seriously, he could keep going forever _, and then also ignored Sakura smacking Naruto in the arm. “I’ll keep watch.” 

Sakura watched Kakashi-sensei hop up to sit on a branch and take out his book (Sakura grimaced – of course he would), and then turned to the boys. She could feel a yawn building up in her throat and did her best to suppress it. 

Naruto, despite his words, looked like he was ready to face plant into the ground and sleep there. He had hurt himself when some missing nin had suddenly decided to attack them, and even if his wounds had healed already (miraculously, Sakura thought), the healing process had taken a toll on him. His voice wasn’t as loud and boisterous as usual, and his head was drooping, his legs dragging as they walked. 

Sasuke wasn’t faring much better – he didn’t get hurt but had fought like a little beast when Naruto had gotten injured, and as young as they were, Sakura could recognise the signs of approaching chakra depletion in him (after training with Kakashi for so long those had become familiar). 

She wasn’t tired. The boys had taken the biggest hit before Kakashi had dispatched of the most powerful ninja of the lot. She had gotten some good kicks in and had come up with the trap that finally incapacitated their attackers, though, and Kakashi had complimented her which made her chest all warm and puffy – but she was annoyed. She was annoyed at the boys; they had jumped in front of her without even thinking, which was sweet but also condescending; and at herself, for having frozen for the millisecond that it took for Sasuke and Naruto to shield her from the enemy. 

“Bet you can’t stay awake the whole night!” Naruto yelled at Sasuke, pointing fiercely as Sasuke ignored him, brow twitching, spreading his bedroll under the tree. 

“What, did you get tired from that?” Sasuke mocked back, standing up and he swayed a little in place from the exhaustion. 

“Of course not!” Naruto said and yawned. “That doesn’t count! Don’t laugh!” 

Sasuke scoffed, and that made Naruto scream even louder, and Sakura could feel a vein pulsing in her forehead as the squabbling started to really get on her nerves. She settled her bedroll next to Sasuke’s (and that _ that _was normal now made her cheeks heat up a bit) and it seemed like Naruto hadn’t remembered to take his out, so she spread it out as well and then sat down, legs crossed. 

“Real ninjas can keep going without rest,” Sasuke said and turned his nose up in the air. 

“Not true,” came Kakashi’s commentary from up in the branches. “But they do have good endurance.” 

“And we are genin,” Sakura quipped in and Naruto rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah yeah, I’ll show you I’m a real ninja!” Naruto pointed triumphantly at Sasuke again. “Let’s see who can stay up longer! We’ll see who’s ready for real ninja life!” 

“Naruto,” Kakashi warned. 

Sasuke scoffed, “What, staying up the entire night? How stupid can you be?” 

For a foolish moment Sakura thought Sasuke would be the sensible one. 

“I can stay up for two days if I want to. I’ve trained to be a ninja way longer than you, idiot.” 

“Hey now,” Kakashi started but Sakura was quicker. 

“_ Shut the fuck up! _” 

Sasuke and Naruto froze, already clasping each other by the lapels, and Sakura stood up. 

“You are about to keel over,” she pointed at Sasuke; then at Naruto, “And you have been injured! Now both of you...” 

She took a step forward and pinched them both by the ear so that the boys yelped out loud. 

“Come. _ The fuck. _ To sleep. _ Now _.” 

She dragged the boys, both petrified in terror, to the futons and sat them down. Kakashi chuckled at them from the tree and leaned back, disappearing in the shade. 

“Shut your mouths and shut your eyes,” Sakura said and laid down on her bedroll, pinching her eyes closed. She could hear the boys hesitating, and could almost imagine them exchanging a glance, but she didn’t dare to look. After a couple seconds she heard them shuffling on their respective bedrolls. 

She held out both of her hands. 

From both sides, another hand joined hers, and squeezed tight. 

_ the end _

_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on twitter [@wildkitte](https://twitter.com/wildkitte)  
!


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